


Ever At Your Side

by Kimmimaru



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, M/M, Major Illness, So much angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 12:32:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12035958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmimaru/pseuds/Kimmimaru
Summary: 'It started with a cough.'Prompto gets sick, his friends must watch his steady decline.





	Ever At Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> This is a horrible, sad fic. It's short and probably horribly written because it is extremely personal to me and contains a lot of my experiences with deaths of my loved ones. Probably less than a year ago I lost my granddad, the last of my grand parents. I watched every one of them die and it really is not all that fun, I think I just needed to write this to get a lot of shit off of my chest...so if you don't read it's not a problem. This is extremely personal and is more of a cathartic exercise for me so please, I know it's full of mistakes and is probably a bit shittily written but this is why. I got too close to this and I always mess up when I get too close. However, despite all that pain there IS a little hope at the end. If you do choose to read it, maybe it can help you...I dunno, either way please enjoy.
> 
> It is also inspired by the fact that the creators of FF15 have said that Prompto will not live to Verstael's age and will die young because of the way he was created.

_Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely - Buddha_

 

 

It began with a persistent cough.

 

Prompto was the only one of his friends who had continued hunting, his skill with a gun was much needed in the aftermath of the Ten Years of Darkness. He worked with other hunters so often that he rarely saw his remaining friends. He told himself it was simply that he was too busy, yet at night, when he was curled up inside yet another tent, he couldn't believe his own lies. Ignis and Gladio were living in Lestallum as Insomnia was rebuilt slowly, none of them had any desire to return to see how far it had come. None of them wanted to see His grave. The grief was always still too near, the image of their friend's body pinned to the back of the throne was still far too fresh even all these years later. Ignis had set up a little cafe, it was popular it attracted all kinds of people from all over Lucis.

 

The ' _Frape Camper_ ' was a highly popular shop that Ignis ran mostly alone, he sold coffee and a varied assortment of cakes and other treats that were inspired by his travels. The fact that there was a blind chef in Lestallum brought many curious customers who wished to try his baking.

 

Prompto visited on occasion, bringing with him some new ingredients for Ignis to use. It had been three long months since his last visit and he sat at a small table, nursing a mug of coffee as he watched the street. Ignis sat at his side, reaching out with questioning fingers. Prompto jolted from his reverie when Ignis took hold of his wrist. “Are you well, Prompto?” He asked, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses and fingers squeezing Prompto rather tightly.

 

“Oh...yeah I'm fine.” Prompto tried to smile but it felt stiff on his lips, he took a sip of his coffee unable to taste it despite Ignis sourcing his beans from only the best producers.   
  


“Blind I may be, but I can tell by the inflection in your voice that you are lying to me.”

 

Prompto looked up, seeing the scars and looking away again. Ignis had been ageing with dignity, his hair still as full as ever with only a few visible greys. The back of his throat tickled again and he pressed his hand to his mouth, coughing until his eyes watered. “I'm fine, Iggy, just a cough.”

 

Ignis pursed his lips, “Perhaps you should get that looked at, there's a rather excellent doctor around here who would-”

 

“No.” Prompto shook his head and hunched his shoulders, pulling his hand away from Ignis and staring down into his mug. “No, I'll be fine. You know me, I can bounce back from anything.” He forced his voice to sound light and airy but he knew Ignis would not be fooled.

 

“Hm. Well, if it does get worse, please tell me.”

 

“Sure, I'll do that.” Prompto really did smile this time, eyes crinkling and sparkling purple. His scruffy beard had grown rather wild these past few years and he rubbed his hand over it with a frown, perhaps he should shave. He had no desire to increase his resemblance to the man who made him, he despised looking in the mirror and seeing that monster looking back at him. He let his hand fall to the table as Ignis slowly began to change the subject, telling him about how Gladio had travelled all the way out to Tenebrae recently and brought Ignis back some of the berries he needed to make a certain desert. He was planning on selling them in his shop, after years of refusing to make them because of the memories attached. Prompto smiled again, eyes lingering on the street outside and the bright sunlight streaming down on the bustle of people. Ignis was slowly but surely healing, and Prompto was glad to see it.

 

Prompto stayed in Lestallum for a while and his cough grew worse. His breathing became laboured, his lungs burned as if he had contracted an infection. When Ignis finally managed to badger him into going to the doctors he was given some pills for the infection and sent on his way. He took them and they seemed to help at first, however, it soon got worse.

 

“Gods, Prompto, you're freezing!” Ignis exclaimed one day, as Prompto sat in his cafe.

 

“Yeah, it's gotten pretty cold lately, huh?” Prompto said, smiling weakly as Ignis pressed a hand to his forehead.

 

“This...this surely isn't right. It's the height of summer.”

 

“Oh...really? I...I didn't realise...Must've forgotten...huh...” Prompto coughed violently into his hand and when he drew it away he saw blood coating his palm.

 

“Prompto...”

 

“I'm fine, just a bit sick.” Prompto insisted but when he tried to stand his legs gave out beneath him, he collapsed into Ignis' arms and fell into darkness.

 

A few days later Gladio returned to Lestallum at Ignis' behest, he found his friend sat in the waiting room of a hospital. “What's going on, Iggy?” He said gruffly, sitting down beside his friend.

 

“It's...Prompto. He collapsed the other day and...and he's not recovering.”

 

Gladio looked up, dark hair falling into his eyes as he saw several nurses and doctors ambling about the reception area. “What's wrong with him?” He asked, dread sitting heavily in his stomach.

 

“They told me that his organs are...are shutting down.” Ignis swallowed, taking a deep breath and lowering his head. “He's dying, Gladio.”

 

Gladio's fingers curled into the fabric of his trousers as he gazed blankly at the blank white wall ahead of him, finally he took a breath. “Why? What's wrong with him exactly? He's only...what? Not even forty yet, Iggy...he can't be just...dying...”

 

Ignis shook his head slowly, “Gladio, he's not human. We forgot that somewhere along the line and now...now his body is shutting down. Without the man who created him around we have no way to stop it, if there ever was a way to begin with.” Ignis sighed, a single tear sliding down his face. “First Noctis...now Prompto...”

 

“I...” Gladio shut his mouth and pushed his hair back from his face, “Damn it. I thought it was all over...I thought...”

 

“Mr. Scientia?”

 

“Yes?” Ignis rose, using Gladio's shoulder to lift himself to his feet and steady himself. “Is he...?”

 

“He's comfortable.” The doctor, a woman, by the sound of her voice. “And he says he wants to see you...both of you.”

 

“Thanks.” Gladio took Ignis by the elbow, a habit from years of helping Ignis get around before he grew used to doing it himself. Normally he would have been thrown off, some irritated retort on Ignis' tongue, but this time he said nothing and hung onto Gladio tightly as if afraid of losing his balance. Gladio led him down the corridor, following the doctor until they reached a small private room. The doctor opened it and smiled, allowing Ignis and Gladio to step past her.

 

Prompto was lying on his side, facing the door, when he opened his eyes and saw his friends he smiled weakly. “Heyaz...” He muttered, coughing for a full minute before it subsided enough for Gladio to bring him a drink with a straw. When that was done, Gladio moved back to sit in one of the stuffed arm chairs. Ignis hovered a moment before seating himself at Gladio's side, their fingers entwined automatically on the arm rest. Prompto opened watery eyes and saw the movement, a small, weak little smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Thought...you two'd called it quits...” He whispered.

 

Gladio looked away, “Yeah, well...Maybe we did, and...maybe it was a mistake.”

 

Ignis said nothing but he squeezed Gladio's hand tightly enough to leave small crescents in the palm of his hand.

 

“I'm...kinda glad. You two...deserve to be happy...When're you gunna tell Noct?”

 

Gladio's shoulder's tensed and he met Prompto's eyes, he opened his mouth to speak but Ignis kicked his ankle. “When he comes back, we will tell him.” Ignis answered, his voice holding only the slightest shake.

 

“Yeah...good...” Prompto's eyelids fluttered and closed for a long moment, his chest rose and fell slowly and the room was filled with an awful rattle. Gladio swallowed, closing his eyes tightly as he tried to hold in his emotions. “Heyaz...” Prompto opened his eyes again and saw his two friends sat by his side. “You guys...where...where's Noct? I haven't...haven't seen him in a while.”

 

“He's...around.” Gladio managed, meeting Prompto's glazed eyes and forcing a smile. “He'll be here soon, don't worry kid.”

 

“Oh good...I need ta...tell him...” Prompto's eyes slid shut again and he shivered. “Need to tell him...never got a chance 'till now, ya know? He's...he's gonna marry her...b-but I...I always...always...Damn, it's cold.”

 

Ignis shifted, finding an extra blanket on the side of the bed and bringing it up to cover Prompto. “Better?”

 

“Yeah, thanks, Iggy.” Prompto's breath wheezed in and out of his lungs as Ignis sat back down and grabbed Gladio's knee, digging his fingers in deeply. Gladio covered his hand with his own and stared at the small vase of flowers on Prompto's bedside table.

 

Ignis and Gladio both began to visit every day, Gladio stayed at Ignis' small apartment. The night of their first visit, Ignis invited Gladio into his bed for the first time since Noctis' death. They held each other through the night, awaiting the dawn in silence. Slowly, as the days passed, Prompto's ability to remain conscious slowly faded. He slipped into a coma-like sleep, occasionally muttering if Ignis of Gladio spoke to him but unable to offer more of a response. His skin turned a sickly yellow, it became paper thin and was cold to the touch. He seemed to be shrinking, even as they watched over him, occasionally he became agitated and muttered things neither of them understood. He mentioned his 'father', he told them he was sorry for something and then went still again.

 

“I went to Insomnia today, kid.” Gladio sat in the usual chair, watching light creep slowly across Prompto's bed sheets. The sound of the hospital was quiet, muffled behind the thick door. Ignis was back at his cafe, handling a large shipment that had been delivered. For now, it was just Gladio. He watched the man in the bed, a shell of the young, vibrant man he had been. “You know what they did? They put up a statue.” He laughed softly to himself, fingers tightening on the arm rests of the chair. “Noct'd hate it, it's way over the top and he looks kinda stupid in it actually.” Gladio licked his lips, sighing as he leaned forward and rested his arms over his knees. He hung his head and let a few tears fall. “Shit...look at what you're doing to me, huh?” He laughed wetly and wiped a hand over his eyes, “It was bad enough when we lost him...now we've gotta do it all over again. You're...too young...way too young.”

 

Gladio looked up just as the door opened and Ignis returned, he walked with one hand out and found the chair, he moved around it and sat down with a heavy sigh. “How is he?”

 

“No change.” Gladio replied, sniffing.

 

Ignis lifted a hand and curled his fingers into Gladio's hair, he pulled their heads together so that their foreheads touched. “I'm sorry.”

 

“What for?”

 

“For...everything. For taking my grief out on you when it was never your fault...I was...so broken...”

 

“Hey, we all were, Iggy.” Gladio took Ignis' hands in his own and closed his eyes, sitting in the darkness. “I walked away from you...I was...a coward. I should'a just told you...how I really feel.”

 

“Nothing's changed.” Ignis replied, his breath quick in his lungs and burning like Ifrit's fire. “I never stopped-”

 

Gladio cut him off, both hands rising to cup Ignis' face as their lips met in a harsh, hungry kiss. When he drew away he took a shaky breath, “Stop apologising.”

 

Ignis laughed thickly, hands on Gladio's chest. “Of course.”

 

“...Noct?”

 

Both of them pulled away from one another and looked to the bed. Prompto was frowning, seemingly asleep but his eyes cracked open a little suddenly and he stared through Gladio and Ignis towards the door. A smile, one reminiscent of his old one, full of sunshine and hope, split his face. He reached with one shaking hand towards something neither of the other two could see. A tear slid down Prompto's cheek, soaking into the pillow. “Noct...”

 

He could see him, as clear as day. He stood behind Gladio and Ignis, illuminated in golden sunlight. He wore a dark suit, his shirt open at the collar casually and he smiled. His blue eyes crinkling at the corners and he walked through their friends towards the bed. _Prompto..._ When he spoke his lips moved but Prompto heard them inside his head. More hot tears splashed down his face as the figure reached his bedside. The world seemed to shimmer as Noctis leaned down, taking Prompto's head between his hands and leaving a kiss on his forehead. _It's time to come home now, Prompto._

 

“I-It's...over...?”

 

_Yeah, it's over. Everyone's waiting for you._

 

Ignis stiffened, his head moving back and forth quickly. “Can you...heard something?” He asked, grabbing Gladio by the wrist hard enough to bruise.

 

“What? No. Iggy, that hurts!”

 

“Sorry...I just thought I heard...no, never mind. It's impossible.” Ignis shook his head just as Prompto let out a long sigh. He felt Gladio tense at his side.

 

“Prompto?” Gladio's voice roughened and he rose, disengaging Ignis' hand and going to the bedside. “P-Prompto?”

 

“Gladio? What is it?”

 

“I...I think he's...”

 

Prompto stood at the door, watching Gladio lean over the body in the bed. He watched Ignis move forward and he found himself biting on his lower lip, concern for his friends making him hesitate. Then he felt a tug on his hand, he turned to find Noctis gazing at him with star-filled eyes. “Come on, we've gotta go now.”

 

“What about-”

 

Noctis looked at his friends, a smile forming on his lips, “They're gunna be just fine, trust me.” Prompto took a moment, watching them and memorising the moment. “You with me?”

 

Prompto took a breath, turning to Noctis and cupping the side of his bearded face. “Ever at your side.” He breathed as Noctis leaned down and kissed him, he sighed, wrapping his arms around him and letting the joy fill his entire being.

 

Ignis heard it then, as if someone was calling from far away. He turned, searching for the source of the sound. It came again, just as Gladio pressed the button for the nurses. “Gladio...” He hissed, hand snatching at Gladio's and holding him. Gladio fell quiet at the earnest look on his lovers face and they waited in silence until he heard it. Soft voices murmuring to each other and then, the light cast it's rays across the room to illuminate the corner by the door. Gladio gasped, eyes widening as he saw two figures standing there, watching them. One was dark haired and caused his heart to ache, the other lighter. Both were smiling and both held hands as if they didn't dare to be parted again. Noctis raised his free hand and Prompto imitated him, a gesture of farewell. Ignis heard it, the rustling of cloth that wasn't really there, the smell of sylleblossoms lingering faintly in the air.

 

_Good bye, guys...and...thanks._

 

_For everything._

 

And then they were gone. Gladio took Ignis' hand and brought the knuckles to his lips, leaving a lingering kiss behind as two nurses entered the room and started to check the body.

 

That night they went home, mourning the loss. They spent that night and every night after with each other, the cafe prospered, Gladio stopped leaving to go on hunts and started to help Ignis. The pain never truly left but they learnt to live with it, the learnt to cope and eventually they started to live again. Each day was better than the last.

 


End file.
